DougN

Gnome Rhône 14M engine made also by my brother
 
 
out of printer!

 
 
on the workbench

 

 

KingK, the problem with your theory(ies) is that the rest of the Trumpeter kit exactly matches the MMP plans. So if they are wrong as you claim, then the rest of the kit is also wrong. So, using your theory(ies), you would need to make the cowl longer and the fuselage, wings, etc. shorter. The photos I posted also show that the nose it too pointy, regardless of whether your theory(ies) on the accuracy of the plans is correct since an accurately sized spinner back plate highlights this. You should also note that I aligned the part on the nose side of the "gap" you are on about, so that part is taken out of the equation.

The fact that the nose is too small and pointy is visually evident when comparing the built kit to any photo (or actual airframe) of the real aircraft. This is what caused me to look at this area, and the photos above confirm it. If it was just a matter of adding a mm or two of material to make it longer, I would not even be worried about it. However, to correct the pointyness of the nose will clearly require major effort.
 
I have ordered the corrected spinner/prop and will do some comparisons with it on the 21C and Revell kit noses as well once it arrives and post my results. The 21C nose, while also a bit small, does have a better shape to the radiator bottom so it might be a better start for correction. It is also does not seem quite as "pointy" as the Trumpeter kit, however, we'll see for sure once I get the new spinner to make an informed comparison. The Revell nose may also be an option, as it seems to align better with the plans when placed all the way forward, and it might be a case of just needing to add 2mm to 3mm to the rear to get it to look right. Again, once I get the new parts, I plan to do an comparison article on all 3 Ju87B kits.
 
Doug

As promised, here are some photos of the Trumpy nose that illustrate the smallness issue:
 
Nose aligned at the firewall on the plans from the MMP book:
 

 
Here are some photos from the accurate replacement spinner prop look like on the kit nose listed above.
 
Dimensions used to create the replacement parts are shown on the instructions:
 

 
These photos nicely shows how the nose is too "pointy":
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
Hope this helps illustrate the problems being discussed.
 
Doug

Ok, I guess it's time for an update!
 
I did some more work on the wings. Unfortunately, the wing inserts (C45/C46) were a tiny bit too narrow on the sides, so I had to fill a little bit around them and re-scribe. I also noticed that if you build with the wing leading edge slats closed, the slat for the port side is about .75mm too short, so you'll need to address that as well. Also note that the slats themselves have an attachment point depression thingy on them, and this should be there, don't sand them out by mistake like I almost did!
 
 

 
 
I also discovered that you can deviate from the kit instructions when it comes to assembling all the PE bits that hold the flaps and ailerons in place. Instead of assembling the hinge, and then attaching the flap/aileron to the wing, I superglued the wing attachments (MA1, MA6, MA8) to the wing, and then superglued the appropriate other bits (MA2, MA15, MA16, MB2) to the flaps/aileron as appropriate. Now I can attach them when I am ready
 
 


 
 
Also, the kit wingtips have some very nice raised rivet detail. As I ended up losing some of it from sanding, as well as the fact that my references show flush rivets like the rest of the aircraft, I sanding them all off and used Radu's riveter with the 1.5 pitch wheel to replace them
 

 
 
I'm still not 100% pleased with the slats, as they had a slight warp to them which was noticeable when putting them in the fully closed position. I don't think that it would have been noticeable in the open position. I may need to work on them a bit more.
 
One other issue, is that the holes for the rudder PE attachments are not quite right. While the upper hole is fine, the one that is supposed to be midway down is actually much further down. Apparently, CHD is aware of this and it will be corrected on future releases. In the interim, just drill a hole in the correct spot
 
 

 
 
Well, I guess that will do it for this update!
 
Cheers,
 
Doug

Ok, not a huge update, but I did get the fuselage closed up and started fitting the cowl pieces. I really liked the locating tabs CHD use instead of pins, as it helps eliminate any step between the fuselage halves. Here is the current state of affairs:
 

 
Engine dry fit to fuselage:
 

 
gun cover cowl dry fit
 

 
Note that if you want to have the cowls attached, the gun cover cowl will not fit over the completed gun tray assembly (like the Eduard kit). First, you will need to leave out parts F19 (x2) and F28. The gun breeches will also need to be sanded down a bit to ensure a perfect fit. I also found that when placed in the fuselage, the gun tray base (F2) is a bit wide and spreads the forward fuselage out a bit too much to match up the the gun cowl itself. I ended up glueing the fuselage together, and using the gun cowl (without F2 attached) to get the the forward fuselage set up to match the gun cowl.
 
Once that was done, I sanded the sides of F2 to narrow it a bit so it will easily fit within the fuselage space. I also found that it caused binding on the tabs of the gun cowl cover, so I carved out larger slots. In the end, it looked like this:
 

 
With engine dry fit in place:
 

 
I am also a little leary of CHD's asking me to attach all the cowl parts to directly to the engine. I did some testing, and determined that I could glue the two side parts (A17/A18) together, and then attach the bottom cowl (B26), and attach that all to the engine. I may even attempt to attach B7 and B8 (the ducts for the oil cooler) to the bottom cowl first rather than the oil cooler itself to see if that will work. This should ensure good panel alignment of all the cowl parts. I did a quick fit of all the cowl parts together to see how they looked:
 

 
CHD is to be commended for their excellent fit and engineering. My initial comparison to a Tamiya-like feel to the kit has been reinforced even more as I continue to build it.
 
Found a few errors in the instructions already, they are:
 
In step 3, they would have you attach A12 and A13 to the inside bottom of the fuselage panel (A19). Do not do this as these are the bolt cover bumps for the wingroot.
 
Also, if you want to put either the bomb or droptank racks on your bird, there are holes that you will need to open up on part A19. Do this before attaching to the fuselage (it should be easy to figure out which holes go to what. If you do attach one of these, you might need to leave off part A7 or F33.
 
Next, on to the wings! Thanks for looking in!
 
Cheers,
 
Doug

Checking more period photos, I can find some that do have those inspection windows, as well as many more that do not. Some even next to each other from the same squadron where one airframe has them and the next one does not. I wonder if only one manufacturing plant put them on, or if they were added based on airframe age, or some other reason,

Correct, and they each have a blast tube that is the same diameter as each hole in the leading edge of the wing.  Unfortunately, there is not really anything else visible from the front unless you looked really, really hard.  But, the brass parts look nice and better than just blank holes even if not accurate.

ALLAAARM!!!!!
Excellent project Kevin, should be a very nice conversation piece when you're done!
 
Doug

Some progress...
Oil paint washing applied
 

Might be an idea just to let those that bought the kit post their experience as and when, instead of listening to the seemingly endless conjecture from those that haven't.

I think that is all one big scam unfortunaly...but u never know...  
 

Decals applied.
I have used Fündekals decal set. 

One guy asking for one thing one hundred times is harassment. One hundred guys asking for the same thing one time is demand. One hundred guys asking for one thing each one time is just noise. 
Focus! 
Radu 

Shrinkage can also be caused by cold water,  according to Seinfield
 

Upper camouflage painting finished
Gunze Sangyo acrylics used.
Now ready for decalling.
 

There is no risk. At all. None.
Click "Buy it Now". Pay the total clearly shown on the auction page (price + shipping). In my case, it was a total of $39.99. Wait for the kit to arrive. If the kit doesn't show up, file and claim with eBay and get your money refunded hassle-free. 
 
This same thing happened earlier this year with the Chinese guy selling expensive Takom kits dirt cheap. Some buyers got their kits, others got little teddy bears instead, and some got nothing. In the cases of teddy bears or nothing, eBay quickly refunded all of the money. 
 
There is NO WAY for any seller to somehow back-door your payment method and steal your money, or magically take more than you pay. It isn't as though you're giving your credit card or bank account numbers directly to the seller. 
 
At worst, you have $40 or whatever tied up in the deal for a month or so. But, you get it all back if the deal goes sour. If it works out, then you get a great kit dirt cheap. 
 
D

Well, working from the nose to tail, the only things from a "D" kit that can still be used in a "B" are spinner, propeller, exhausts, carburetor intake, carburetor filters, exhausts, gun sight, rudder pedals, trim wheel, outboard landing gear doors, main landing gear legs, main wheels, elevators, flaps, radiator intake ring and duct, oil cooler matrix and flap, water cooler matrix and flap, tail landing gear, tail wheel, tail wheel doors, tail planes, elevators, rudder, tail light. That is indeed about 25% of the plane. All other parts need to be changed, some in small ways, some in radical ways and most of the other parts need to be completely redesigned. There is no software that can make this happen all by itself, it will take a human being operating that software and time to implement all those changes. As I said in the other thread, the B and the D are two completely different planes sharing some parts and a name. Again, thing Volkswagen Golf Mk.1 versus VW Golf Mk. 3. Or if you want to use aviation analogies, think Bf 109 E versus BF 109 F. 
HTH 
Radu 

Well, the Lancaster is coming from HKM, rather than HpH. And hopefully soon! But I think Mike is aware of that; he's merely pointing out that plenty of companies appear to be choosing large scale esoterica over the early Mustang (although I grant you that the Lancaster is hardly esoteric).
 
Kev

Thanks all you guys for positive comments - really apreciate it
Small update on Horten.
This is the final stage. All parts painted and washed. still need to put it together and spray final matt or semimatt coat
IMHO this is really great kit. No issues with anything
 

 

 

 



 
canopy - easy to paint with attached masks


 
I have reinforced the main undercarriage leg with a metal tube
 




 
air brakes (AM photo etched parts make difference here)


 
thanks for looking
jan

No, at this point in the war RLM 02 was pretty much phased out.  Stick with 74/75 for your mottles.  Here's my take on this aircraft:
 

Well, I know HKM is working on one, but I am getting older by the day. Can I wait ten years....? So I will vote for Revell, it may at least prompt HKM to get a move along, instead of wasting time on a Ju 52.

I did it. I'm so ashamed.   

I went ahead and ordered one - not at all worried with the PayPal guarantee and it will be fun to see what turns up (if anything).

I went ahead and ordered one - not at all worried with the PayPal guarantee and it will be fun to see what turns up (if anything).

I went ahead and ordered one - not at all worried with the PayPal guarantee and it will be fun to see what turns up (if anything).